Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

कलौ कृष्णस्य माहात्म्यं ये शृण्वंति पठंति च । न तेषां जायते वासो यमलोके युगाष्टकम्

Transliteration

kalau kṛṣṇasya māhātmyaṃ ye śṛṇvaṃti paṭhaṃti ca | na teṣāṃ jāyate vāso yamaloke yugāṣṭakam

Translation

Au Kali-yuga, ceux qui écoutent et récitent la grandeur de Kṛṣṇa ne vont pas demeurer dans le royaume de Yama, fût-ce pour huit âges.

Word by Word

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of time)

• कृष्णस्य: of Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness, glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म/उद्देश्य (object)

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• शृण्वन्ति: hear
• शृण्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• पठन्ति: recite, read
• पठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• जायते: arises, occurs
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• वासः: dwelling, residence
• वासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृसमानाधिकरण (subject complement)

• यमलोके: in Yama’s world
• यमलोके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम-लोक (प्रातिपदिक; यम + लोक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (place)

• युगाष्टकम्: for eight yugas
• युगाष्टकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग-अष्टक (प्रातिपदिक; युग + अष्टक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (duration as object/extent)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā / Kṛṣṇa-māhātmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indradyumna

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional assembly listens to recitation of Kṛṣṇa’s greatness; above, a symbolic vision shows Yama’s dark city receding or barred, while a radiant Kṛṣṇa presence protects the listeners.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Kṛṣṇa
• Yama-loka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (hearing) and pāṭha (recitation) of divine glory are potent Kali-yuga practices that protect one from painful post-death states.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse emphasizes Kṛṣṇa’s māhātmya within the Dvārakā Māhātmya context, implicitly tying devotion to Dvārakā’s sacred presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hearing and reciting (śravaṇa and pāṭha) the māhātmya of Kṛṣṇa.